Home Is Where Your Stuff Is

How’s it feel to only own what’s in your backpack?

Truthfully – Amazing. It feels bloody amazing.

I used to own an epic amount of shit. Clothes, nic-nacs, furniture, stuff. Just heaps of stuff. Owning all this crap gave me some sort of symbolic comfort, but it was only a bandaid for me trying to deal with my issues. Of which there are many 🤪. When I started travelling full time 2 years ago, the need to have all this stuff stopped being a necessity and started being a hassle. I had to lug all the crap I had with me around on my back. Literally. And the stuff I had in storage back in Australia was always lingering as an annoyance in my mind.

Although I tend to spend at least 3 months in each place I visit, overpacking is enough of an issue that travelling light is the ideal solution for me. It just makes sense. So when I came back to Australia to visit my 2 best mates new babies, I sold all my stuff. Well, most of it. I still have the bare minimum, but I hawked most of it at Camberwell Market, and it felt AMAZING. I highly recommend getting rid of the extra baggage in your life if you’re feeling weighed down. It’s therapeutic to own so little, and being able to make that choice makes me realise how lucky I am. And a little extra cashola never goes astray.

Where I Am

I’m currently in Melbourne, Australia, having flown straight here with Mumsy after 2 blissful weeks in Kauai’i in Hawai’i. I headed down to the land of Aus to see my two best mates new babies, and oh man, They’re bloody perfect! By complete chance, both of my best friends got pregnant just days apart. Which, if I can be selfish for a sec, made flying home to see their fresh bubs so much easier and cheaper for me 😂. All are healthy and well, and holy moly. I love them both immensely already.

It’s been primo catching up with them, meeting their babies, seeing family and friends, and spending time with my horses. I don’t think I’ll be back in Australia for a while, so I’m making the most of it while I can. On top of seeing old matey potateys, I’ve made an effort to catch up with some people who I haven’t seen in years. Shit, over a decade and a half, really. And it was refreshingly rewarding.

What I’m Doing

It’s been great to be somewhere quiet and being able to catch up on work. Being a freelancing digital nomad (as much as I despise that term) isn’t all sunshine and daisies, and sometimes a task as simple as finding somewhere productive to work from can be difficult. But I’ve dug deep and got my shit together while I’ve been home, and am smashing through my epic to-do list.

Apart from work, there’s been a lot of fucking around getting some visas for my future travels. It’s a pain that for a number of them I have to apply at a consulate in Australia. But hey, at least I have an awesome country to burn time in while I wait! I did have a bit of an issue with the Chilean Consulate, but I’ll go into that in another post – it deserves another measured rant, as I did here.

Where I’m Going

The next year for me has taken shape recently. As I mentioned in another post, I’m nearly 31, which means I only have a few months to apply for my last working holiday visa. I looked at the list of where I could go and picked Malta. Because why not?

I’ll be heading back to Canada soon to start work on an island in one of the worlds most beautiful destinations – Haida Gwaii. After that, it’s off to Malta for at least 3 months (but ideally a full year), hopefully working as a dive instructor and soaking up the sun. After that, who knows! The world is my delicious oyster.

Victoria (Vancouver Island, Canada) on May 12th – May 19th to get in a heap of last-minute activities with Chloe.

What I’m Reading

I’ve been a bit too busy to read books recently (wah), but I’ve found an awesome little stockpile of travel blogs that I’m now hooked on. The Voyageur’s to the point writing style and layout are creating little sparks of travel inspiration for me left right and centre. And Along Dusty Road’s photos are beyond beautiful. I can’t get enough of them.

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I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored – Sir David Attenborough